This invention, in general, relates to mobile communication. More particularly, this invention relates to enabling a recipient to interact with an interactive multimodal message triggered on a mobile device of the recipient.
Mobile communication service providers typically allow subscribers to make voice calls and to send text messages and multimedia messages over a communication network. Voice calls can only be made if a calling subscriber and a called subscriber are connected to each other via the mobile communication network at the same time. Often, a called subscriber may be busy and unable to answer a call from a calling subscriber. The called subscriber may therefore miss important calls. Text messages have a maximum character limit for every message; therefore the amount of information transmitted as a text message may be limited. Furthermore, the content of text messages is limited to plain text without visual enhancements or interactivity. Multimedia messages allow subscribers to send images, videos, and other kinds of multimedia content over the communication network. However, there is limited interactivity in the multimedia messages. The content of a single multimedia message remains unchanged when forwarded to different recipients.
Mobile communication service providers further provide voicemail services where the calling subscriber may leave a message for the called subscriber if a voice call is not answered by the called subscriber. The voicemail message is stored at a server and may be accessed by the called subscriber at a later point in time. A voicemail service is analogous to an answering machine. The voicemail messages are recorded sound files with limited interactivity. The interactivity offered to the called subscriber while accessing the voicemail message is provided by the server and not the message. The voicemail message itself is static in nature.
Mobile communication service providers also provide services that allow a subscriber to send a text message with a request to purchase chosen ringtones, wallpapers, etc, or to activate a chosen new service, for example to activate or deactivate roaming, to the service provider. However, the choice is typically made by the subscriber offline, while the text message is used only for conveying the choice to the service provider. The text message itself is non interactive.
Hence, there is a need for enabling a recipient to interact with an interactive multimodal message comprising interactive dynamic content triggered on a mobile device.